Spirocore lights ... what next?

[Beer of the Bass]

Herve's strung matrix site had the opposite effect on me, it backed up the idea that for the properties I like from a string, nothing is really better than Spiros! There are a couple of other sets on there that could probably work for me, but none that sound night-and-day better for my tastes.

[tinyd]

On 01/08/2023 at 18:55, TheRev said:

For a more traditional sound, try Evah Pirazzi Weich.

I got a set of these after starting off with Spiros - they're similar but as @TheRev says, a bit more traditional, sound wonderful and slightly easier on the fingers. Not cheap though, but I've had the same set on for years and they still sound pretty good.

[Richard Jinman]

59 minutes ago, tinyd said:

I got a set of these after starting off with Spiros - they're similar but as @TheRev says, a bit more traditional, sound wonderful and slightly easier on the fingers. Not cheap though, but I've had the same set on for years and they still sound pretty good.are 

59 minutes ago, tinyd said:

I got a set of these after starting off with Spiros - they're similar but as @TheRev says, a bit more traditional, sound wonderful and slightly easier on the fingers. Not cheap though, but I've had the same set on for years and they still sound pretty good.

are yours low or medium tension?

[NickA]

On 02/08/2023 at 19:33, Beedster said:

 

No, but you will ...............  

😂😂😂.

 

Oh, the hours lost to making the perfect tone ...when learning notes might have been more useful.

[Burns-bass]

4 minutes ago, NickA said:

😂😂😂.

 

Oh, the hours lost to making the perfect tone ...when learning notes might have been more useful.

Think we all know what they are. It’s where they are that matters!

[NickA]

4 minutes ago, Burns-bass said:

Think we all know what they are. It’s where they are that matters!

I'm still at the stage in jazz of working out WHICH to play, never mind finding them!  Too easy to go for the easy options (up 3rds or 5ths, down a 6th, lead to the next chord with a 7th etc)which are simple to find!

 

Oops thread creep.

[Burns-bass]

Just now, NickA said:

I'm still at the stage in jazz of working out WHICH to play, never mind finding them!  Too easy to go for the easy options (up 3rds or 5ths, down a 6th, lead to the next chord with a 7th etc)which are simple to find!

 

Oops thread creep.

Amen brother, me too!
 

[Richard Jinman]

2 minutes ago, Burns-bass said:

Amen brother, me too!
 

Me too…. But the ‘easy’ options sound great. And to be fair the number of people in the audience thinking ‘he’s leaning on root five a bit heavily’ is likely to be minute (unless you’re at a jazz club or a double bass convention I guess). Not that I don’t want to progress, perform chord subs on the fly etc, but I think one of the wonderful things about DB is that simple lines played in the pocket sound so damn good. 

[ezbass]

7 minutes ago, Richard Jinman said:

but I think one of the wonderful things about DB is that simple lines played in the pocket sound so damn good. 

You are not wrong, endless walking lines can be wearing on the ears, not to mention fingers, and make everything sound the same.

 

There is an awful lot to be said for concentrating on playing, rather than gear. However, I think a satisfying tone and the right feel under the fingers encourages you to play and practise more. 

[tinyd]

@Richard Jinman "are yours low or medium tension?"

The message quoting got a bit messed-up, but mine are lights (as were the Spiros that I had previously)

[tinyd]

1 hour ago, ezbass said:

You are not wrong, endless walking lines can be wearing on the ears, not to mention fingers, and make everything sound the same.

 

There is an awful lot to be said for concentrating on playing, rather than gear. However, I think a satisfying tone and the right feel under the fingers encourages you to play and practise more. 

I agree completely except the "wearing on the fingers" bit - I find that playing root/fifth two-feel stuff is harder on the hands than walking. Something about shifting position and fingers more frequently means that I'm less likely to "cramp up"....

[Richard Jinman]

27 minutes ago, tinyd said:

I agree completely except the "wearing on the fingers" bit - I find that playing root/fifth two-feel stuff is harder on the hands than walking. Something about shifting position and fingers more frequently means that I'm less likely to "cramp up"....

Something I'm struggling with is when to use a two feel and when to walk. When I got a grasp of walking I tended to see everything as a chance to walk ... until my teacher reigned me in. He suggested a two feel is often more appropriate for ballads for example. I guess it's often the case when you're learning an instrument - the tendency to paint every inch of the canvas because you can. All part of the fascination of learning...

[Beedster]

3 hours ago, NickA said:

I'm still at the stage in jazz of working out WHICH to play

 

It's jazz, you play all of them and none of them 👍

[Beedster]

38 minutes ago, Richard Jinman said:

 the tendency to paint every inch of the canvas because you can. All part of the fascination of learning...

 

The best (only) compliment I ever had on bass was from a session guitarist who said "I love how little you play". My algorithm is one 'moment' per every other song, a moment being anything from a short journey to the dusty even if only to play the same part an 8ve up, to some growly E-string stuff, usually a slide up to a Bb or similar. Try to hold down the bottom end but not noticeably so, in fact from a audio POV they should only notice you're there when you stop playing. Visual POV very different of course, DB is THE centrepiece  

 

Don't take too much of that seriously BTW, but it generally works for me 👍 

[tinyd]

1 hour ago, Richard Jinman said:

Something I'm struggling with is when to use a two feel and when to walk. When I got a grasp of walking I tended to see everything as a chance to walk ... until my teacher reigned me in. He suggested a two feel is often more appropriate for ballads for example. I guess it's often the case when you're learning an instrument - the tendency to paint every inch of the canvas because you can. All part of the fascination of learning...

If you're playing jazz, I reckon that listening to when Paul Chambers changes between two-feel and walking on albums like Relaxin', Steamin', Cookin' etc is a great starting point, as these are pretty close to being "canonical" small-band jazz recordings.

Although it sounds slightly counterintutive (less notes, so must be easier, right?), two-feel can often be harder than walking as well (which might be another reason why you prefer to walk).

In general it's a good skill to be able to switch between the two at will over any particular tune, particularly because when you're playing with other people switching might be the most appropriate choice.
 

[Richard Jinman]

3 hours ago, tinyd said:

If you're playing jazz, I reckon that listening to when Paul Chambers changes between two-feel and walking on albums like Relaxin', Steamin', Cookin' etc is a great starting point, as these are pretty close to being "canonical" small-band jazz recordings.

Although it sounds slightly counterintutive (less notes, so must be easier, right?), two-feel can often be harder than walking as well (which might be another reason why you prefer to walk).

In general it's a good skill to be able to switch between the two at will over any particular tune, particularly because when you're playing with other people switching might be the most appropriate choice.
 

Great advice… I’ll dig out those albums. 

[bassace]

4 hours ago, tinyd said:

Although it sounds slightly counterintutive (less notes, so must be easier, right?), two-feel can often be harder than walking as well (which might be another reason why you prefer to walk).

In general it's a good skill to be able to switch between the two at will over any particular tune, particularly because when you're playing with other people switching might be the most appropriate choice.
 

Interesting, that.  I switch a lot between two feel and walking but as most of my stuff is freelance I usually discuss it with the drummer so he knows what to expect. I remember once mentioning to the drummer that I could tell when the rhythm is starting to swing and I can be confident in playing two feel. He replied, ‘Yes, but a minim is an awfully long note to be wrong’.

 

Check out Ray Brown playing Have You Met Miss Jones on Oscar’s We Get Requests. That swings in medium tempo two feel like no other.

[Beedster]

12 minutes ago, bassace said:

‘Yes, but a minim is an awfully long note to be wrong’

That’s rather nicely put 👍

[Burns-bass]

7 minutes ago, Beedster said:

That’s rather nicely put 👍

 

Made me smile too. My last teacher said the difference between a pro and an amateur is confidence. The jazz guys knew what was going to be right, whereas most of the time, I'm just guessing. When you know, you know!

[Beedster]

Just now, Burns-bass said:

 

Made me smile too. My last teacher said the difference between a pro and an amateur is confidence. The jazz guys knew what was going to be right, whereas most of the time, I'm just guessing. When you know, you know!

 

As far as a (jazz) audience is concerned, if you look and act like you made a mistake, you made a mistake  

[NickA]

On 04/08/2023 at 15:46, Richard Jinman said:

I’ll dig out those albums. 

 

I got all four of cookin, relaxin, workin and steamin' on a double CD at HMV for £6 !!! 

 

.. all a bit samey but a few standout tracks ("Four" being something I play wit' band). Paul Chambers great as ever.

[Richard Jinman]

2 hours ago, NickA said:

 

I got all four of cookin, relaxin, workin and steamin' on a double CD at HMV for £6 !!! 

 

.. all a bit samey but a few standout tracks ("Four" being something I play wit' band). Paul Chambers great as ever.

That’s a bargain. Chambers seems like such an enigma…. I love the anecdote about how the music would sometimes bring him to tears.